Social Democrats TD Rory Hearne has criticised the goverment’s planned “beds in sheds” plan as the government parties attempt to get a grip on an ever-worsening housing crisis.
Plans going before Cabinet today will allow parents to landlords to build “rental pods” in back gardens.
The plan started out as allowing parents to build modular housing units on their properties for family members to live in, but Hearne claimed that the plan has morphed into somethign worse.
He said the new “beds in sheds” plan is a “recipe for exploitation and substandard accommodation.”
The Dublin North-West TD said, “hiding a generation in back gardens is not a solution to our housing crisis. There are so many flaws in this half-baked plan that it’s difficult to know where to start.”
The Soc Dems housing spokesperson said the plan has now turned into a “carte blanche for unscrupulous landlords” to build back “garden Airbnbs or substandard rental pods.”
Hearne noted, “there has been a lot of vague talk about safeguards and regulation as part of the government’s plan to allow planning exemptions for modular homes in gardens. But this only raises further questions.”
“Who will be responsible for ensuring compliance with regulations? Who will enforce building and health and safety standards? And if this responsibility ends up falling on local authorities, will they be sufficiently funded and resourced by the government to allow for the increased workload?
Hearne warned that the new plan would exist outside the scope of the Residential Tenancies Board, and he says that renters may end up being further exploited.
Renters who sign up to the plan would only be protected by a licence agreement instead of a tenancy agreement.
Hearne said that his party supports modular housing and modern construction methods “but only when it’s done right, planned appropriately for communities and neighbourhoods, and has a positive impact on housing supply.
“The government has a responsibility to ensure accommodation is of a certain standard, affordability and quality – and that there are sufficient safeguards in place for tenants. Yet none of these assurances are built into its ‘beds in sheds’ policy,” Hearne said.